Structural basis for Porcupine inhibition.

ABSTRACT: Wnt signalling is essential for embryonic development and tissue homeostasis, and its dysregulation is associated with multiple types of cancer. Porcupine (PORCN), an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-resident membrane-bound O-acyltransferase, catalyses the palmitoleoylation of all 19 human Wnts-a critical modification required for their secretion and activity. This central role makes PORCN an attractive therapeutic target for Wnt-driven cancers, with several inhibitors currently in clinical trials. Here, we present high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy structures of human PORCN in complex with the inhibitors C59 (2.4 Å) and ETC159 (2.6 Å), as well as in a ligand-free state (3.3 Å). These structures reveal critical ordered water molecules that form a hydrogen-bonding network within the active

SUBMITTER: Black KA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12612157 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature